I'll Prove You Wrong
by RkR
Summary: This time, Naruto's determination could, and CAN get him killed. Who can help him now...? []


Hello! I haven't posted a story in a very long time, so I decided to post this.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE: I think this hints shounen-ai at the end...not really though. It's more of a friendship thing...so yeah.

Disclaimer: don't own Naruto.

**I'll Prove You Wrong.**

"_I hope you die"_

"_Monster. Go away."_

"_Leave!"_

"_No one wants you here!"_

"_If only God killed you…"_

"_We don't need another disgrace in this town!"_

The echoes of voices could be heard at night. In a small alley in the village of Kanoha, lay a boy. He was hurt, and just maybe, a bit scared. Naruto…

The voices wouldn't leave him alone. They hit him like daggers, and ripped through his skin hotly. It pained him to hear those words. He tried to block them out with his hands, hopping he wouldn't hear of it any longer. But they wouldn't let him do that. They didn't want him to block out the truth. Hey lay on the floor, crippled. His jacket was gone, and all that was left was a dirty navy undershirt. His headband was ripped away from him. Eyes shut tightly, not wanting to look into his attackers eyes'. He was battered, hurt, and bloody, but they didn't care. They only wanted to inflict as much pain as possible. He shut his eyes and covered his ears with his hands.

"You're a monster, a disgrace! Take our words like the demon you are!" he yelled as he kicked his side. Pain shot through his hip, and he could feel that a bruce would form tomorrow, if they didn't kill him then. He was already beaten enough as he was. But no one would help. No, not this late at day. No one cared.

"Just die why don't you! I'm tired of having my kids inside because of you!" Naruto couldn't stay quiet for long though, he couldn't let them do that to him.

"You don't have to keep them inside…I won't do anything to them at all! That's just your idea!" he screamed as loud as he could. His lungs hurt from all the hits his chest had taken already.

"Don't even dare to talk back at her demon!" a man yelled as he kicked him again, hard.

"Stupid kid." One said as he turned and walked away. The others were about to follow, but they heard a loud growl behind them that made them stop in their tracks.

"Don't leave," they heard a loud struggled whisper, "d-don't LEAVE." They turned around slowly and found Naruto up in fours. His arms may have been bleeding but they were still strong. His knees may have been hurt, but they could still walk, and his body may have been beaten, but his spirit stood strong.

"What?" they asked as they got ready to beat him down again.

"DON'T. LEAVE." He flinched as he tried to stand up. His legs felt like jello, and he would fall over if it wasn't for the wall beside him that helped support him. With one hand limp, and the other holding him up, he glared at the people before him. He wouldn't hurt them. No, he wouldn't dare. But he wanted something back.

"Please…" he almost pleaded, "give me my head band back. Give it-give it back!" he almost tripped forward but quickly stood up straight, or as straight as he could at the moment.

"You're head band?" A big man asked mockingly, "I would never give this back to you! You don't deserve this for being who you are! HA! Like I'd ever let you have this!" he laughed wickedly, and held his stomach as he did so. All the rest started to snicker and most were about to burst out laughing.

A woman said after she finished laughing at the blond, "Why? Why do you live with this torture? Why don't you do the world a favor and just take your life away? No one would really care!" she put a hand to her hip and swung her hair long brown hair to her side with the other. She smirked not expecting a response from the blond. All the men in the group, fat, ugly, and old laughed.

"Yeah, really! Please, just commit suicide and make it easier for all of us!" one screamed from the back. Naruto recognized him; it was the guy from the meat shop in the village. He always hated Naruto and never sold him any food to eat. It was one of the reasons why Naruto ate ramen.

Naruto panted hard, and finally regaining his composure, he said, "I can't." slowly he stood up straight flinching with every movement to stand up straight.

"I…I wouldn't," he smirked at their confused faces, and finally stood up straight, with help from the wall beside him.

"Why are you smirking demon?" the earlier man said, his black hair shining in the moonlight. In the darkness Naruto smiled, a small smile.

"I'm smirking because I can't believe you people wouldn't see it from the start. Why I wouldn't take my life away." His smile turned to a serious stare. All the men and the woman looked confused.

"Why wouldn't you?" they demanded, "everyone hates you, you're cursed, and have no family." Naruto looked at them, "For one, my life is too precious for me to take it away," he smiled, "and no matter what you say, I _do_ have a family. One that loves me, and cares for me," images of his friends, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, Iruka, all the people that have been there for him, Tsunade and even the guy that put the demon in him in the first place, Arashi, he saw all their faces. All of them smiling at him. All his memories with the one family he has came to him. The one family he cherishes.

"I have peoples out there who care, people who love me. Arashi may have put this demon in me, but I don't hate him, I don't despise him. I thank him!" Naruto smirked at their even more confused faces.

"If it wasn't for him, if it wasn't for his sacrifice wouldn't have ever met these people. I wouldn't have met Sakura, she's like a sister, I wouldn't have known Iruka-sensei as personally as I don now. I wouldn't see him as a Father; I wouldn't see Kakashi as my father either... I wouldn't see Tsunade-ba-chan, as my grandmother. And I wouldn't have met Sasuke, like my brother I've never had! Because all this time…I see them as my family. I see them as the people who want to make _me_ strong. Who like me and love me. Who actually really do think of me as a friend, an individual! Not a demon or a monster. And I would _never_ in my _life_, and throw what I have now, AWAY!" he panted. All the people stared at him. Silence followed.

And suddenly, they burst out laughing. They laughed at him and what he said. And all Naruto did was smile. He smiled, and fell to his knees because he could no longer take the weight. On his knees he stayed, and panted. He pressed his hands firmly on the ground, getting ready to say more.

"And another reason…for me not to take my life," he said from the darkness, all the people stopped their laughing and looked at him, expecting to laugh more, "is that I have to prove you wrong." He squeezed the dirt in his hands, and looked up to them, "I have to prove you wrong that I _can_ make it. And that I can live with this shit. That I can stand up and look up! I'll prove you all wrong. I'll prove that I _am_ someone. That I am good, and that I am no demon! On the contrary, I'm a hero to you people! Without me, Kyuubi would still be haunting this village! And I'm doing something that many people in my place would never do. I'm caring about all you jerks! I'm taking care of this village, as a ninja. ALL THE WAY!" Naruto finally fell over from exhaustion, and panted in the ground, grabbing his arm. He seemed to like the dirt in his face. It felt cool, and the night breeze felt even better. He smiled, "I'll prove you all wrong," he whispered.

"Oh yeah? You monster! Like we'd ever appreciate you…" the woman said she took the metal pole that she had with her, and charged at him. Finally hitting him in the ribs, hard.

"Wahh-ah!" Naruto cried in pain. He clutched at his sides hard trying to block all the blows the woman kept giving him. Blow after blow, he didn't shed a single tear.

"I'll prove you all wrong!" he kept screaming, "I'll prove to you that I can do it!" another blow at his arm. Soon, the whole mob started to hit him, and kick him. And every chance he took, Naruto yelled at them. Yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'll prove I can live through all this crap you put me through; I'll prove you all wrong!"

"Shut up!" a man screamed at him as he punched Naruto's side. Naruto whimpered in pain, and shut his eyes tightly, but didn't tell them to stop, or prevented any of the painful blows. He wouldn't hurt them. He would show them that he could do it. Prove them all wrong.

He cracked an eye open. Hopping to find the one thing he wanted back earlier. He looked around as blow after blow hit him. And he flinched with everyone.

'_There!'_ he told himself in his mind, as he slowly reached for the shiny headband. Trying to reach the hidden leaf symbol that was his. The man who had it didn't even notice as he kept hitting him with the wooden stick he had. Naruto's hand reached for it shakily, and he shifted trying to reach the man's hand that had it. With one swift movement he snatched the headband he had gotten from his sensei, Iruka.

"Hey! Look! The little weasel is trying to steal that from you Ayisaka!" the woman screeched at the man who had his headband. Naruto quickly covered his precious headband with his arms, hugging it to his heart. He kept praying for them to leave. And stop.

"Why you little brat! Give that back!" the man said as he kicked him, trying to get him to let go of the headband. He kicked and punched, and even hit him with the wooden stick he had. Blow after blow Naruto just took hold of it even tighter. Not willing to let go of it any time soon. Everyone stopped their assault now concentrating on the question of how to get the headband away from Naruto.

"Let go demon!" he said as he had finally had enough. He raised his wooden stick high up in the air, and let it down hard, and fast, painfully hitting Naruto's leg. Naruto lost hold of the headband for a moment, but as soon as the man bent down to grab it he quickly went to the defense and hugged it tightly once more.

"Ugh, you little monster," the man growled lowly, "give me that headband back!" he kicked Naruto once more. And again it had no affect.

"Here Ayisaka," the woman in the group said, "Take my metal rod. It should make him beg you to stop, and get the headband from him." The man nodded and smirked evilly.

"Hey kid," The man said as he raised the metal rod high, "how 'bout a blow to the head ne?" he laughed at his little 'joke', and so did everyone.

"Give that back; or you get a hit in the noggin'" he said, thinking that Naruto would give it up, scared for his life. He waited, and waited but Naruto showed no sign on giving up.

"What's it gonna be ya' monster?" the man finally said.

"No." Naruto said as he hugged it tighter. He shut his eyes tighter, he knew what was gonna come in a few seconds after he finished.

"I won't give it up. You won't take it away from me!" he took hold of it close to his heart.

The man growled, "fine," he said smirking, "have it your way!" he raised the roc higher and was about to bring it down on the blonds head, when a voice stopped him.

"STOP!" the recognized that voice, "STOP IT RIGHT NOW."

The man let the rod fall to his side, and turned around slowly, along with the others. They stared at the boy before them. The very one they liked. The prodigy: Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke stood staring at them with cold eyes.

'_Sasuke…'_ Naruto thought as he fell away from consciousness, _'Sasuke…'_ and everything went dark for him.

"What are you going to do?" the man who was about to hit Naruto, Ayisaka, said in a low voice, "we don't need this demon around and if the Hokage isn't going to do anything about it, we might as well!" he said turning back around to proceed on his assault on the young boys head.

"Take one more step, and I'll rip you to pieces," Sasuke growled dangerously.

"HA! You can't do that. Attacking your own people! You wouldn't dare!" the man with black hair said.

"Try me." The dark eyed boy raised an eye brow as he said this, and got on his fighting stance, taking out kunais to hit every, single one of Naruto's attackers.

The people backed away. They started to believe him, as he was getting ready to throw them. Slowly one by one, they got away from the hurt blond behind them.

"Get away from here, go home." Sasuke said darkly, "don't ever try to hurt Naruto again, or I swear to you…" he trailed off, letting them finish the sentence for him in their heads.

"You wouldn't hurt your own people would you?" Ayisaka smirked, thinking he had gotten him. Sasuke just glared heatedly, "Try me," he dared again darkly, emphasizing his point. The older man stepped forward; Sasuke immediately got read to attack if he tried anything. The man's eyes widened as he saw what the boy in front of him, the _prodigy_, almost did. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, as if warning him.

"You haven't heard the last of us." Ayisaka said as he dropped the metal pole. He walked away and with his head signaled for the others to follow. Sasuke followed every one of their movements, still alert for anything. He turned as they walked past him, getting ready for anything. He watched them leave, and as soon as they were out of sight he quickly put away his weapons and ran to Naruto's side.

"Naruto…" he picked up the boy's head and checked for his pulse. To his relief, it was still beating strongly. He heard him whimper, he could tell the boy was in pain. He was scrunching his eyes shut tightly. Sasuke carefully sat up Naruto, and held him up. He noticed he was hugging his chest, and tried to look more closely. He couldn't get Naruto's hands away. It was as if his arms were glued to his chest.

"Naruto…what…?" he said softly in the night. Naruto finally gave up the effort and his hands fell to his sides, making the headband fall to his lap. Finally he rested his head on Sasuke's shoulder, exhausted as Sasuke held him up from his back. Sasuke saw the headband and stared, "baka." He said simply. This of course woke Naruto up immediately, "What you call me you Teme?" he said, trying not to sound too tired or weak.

"Nothing. And weren't you out of it?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"No!" Naruto said defensively from Sasuke's shoulder, "I was just resting my eyes…" he finished quietly.

"And you head?" Sasuke snickered as he saw Naruto's eyes bulge out.

"Hmp," he retorted, closing his eyes once more.

"Hey! Don't pass out! We still need to get you home you baka! Hey!" Sasuke tried but he couldn't get a hold of him.

"No…" he heard Naruto whisper, "You're comfy…" Naruto snuggled up to his neck. Sasuke flushed at what Naruto said, and his actions, but didn't complain.

"Fine have it your way," he said, "here" he pulled away from Naruto making him whine. The blond boy opened his blue eyes wearily, and stood up by himself kind of shakily, but managed. The first thing he saw though was Sasuke's back. He looked at it tiredly and confused.

"Come on," he heard Sasuke say, "I'll give you a ride on my back to my house, so hurry up." Naruto really didn't really want to complain, so he did as told and put his arms around Sasuke's neck, and rested his head on his back. Sasuke's face reddened a little but soon he carefully took hold of Naru's legs and picked him up, he was giving him a piggy back ride to his own house (Sasuke's). He walked slowly, as to not to disturb his friends sleep.

"Sasuke…?" he heard a small voice say behind him.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks…" Sasuke gave a tiny nod in approval, and a small smile graced his lips.

"Hey…" Sasuke 'hned' to show that he was listening.

"I got my headband back…I'll prove to everyone…that I can…I can…"

Sasuke shook his head a little, "Rest up you moron. You need it." He heard Naruto grunt in disapproval to the name.

"Don't call me that you teme…" he heard him say tiredly, and soon he heard his soft breathing. Slow and steady breathing. He was finally asleep.

Sasuke sighed, the small smile still on his lips, "Dobe."

--END--

Umm…review?


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